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two years abroad
so, that snuck up on me. just back from my extended trip to realize that today is my two year europe-versary. two years abroad, two years since the day we came across from toronto to glasgow (ah, we were like wee bairns then), unsure of what the future would be like here in europe. well, far better than i could’ve expected, for starters. i never would’ve dreamed i could live as good (or better) in a small czech city than i did in a massive american metropolis. and when things are going good, why mess with it? we are really enjoying life in europe and are keeping an open mind…
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the season of poor
i’ve arrived back home and it’s the end of august: the unofficial ending of my favorite season. school is right around the corner for the kiddos (which means our jobs start up again) and budějovice is putting on a lovely show for us: sunny 22°C weather and the annual end of august festivities that are to occur this weekend. it seems like czech republic is welcoming us back with a sheepish smile. today alone we’ve run into two different nice ladies, the weather is good, the groceries (and really, everything) is cheap again, the stores are overflowing with delicious produce (and squash!!!). i feel like forgiving it for any way…
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berlin’s new favorite park
i was going to talk about poland for today’s travel tuesday. but i am in berlin and my mind is hopelessly submerged in all that is a berlin summer extended weekend. my trip to poland is finished and i had a wonderful time, but…. berlin is on the mind today. as well as trying to forget the polish i learned and try to transition to my german which has sat in a state of decay since my language classes wrapped up for the summer in late june. i actually had a situation where i said, “tak! er… ano! er… ja!” awkward central europe language problems. lord help me. but i…
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Notes From the Road: Poland
twenty two days is a heck of a length of time to take a trip. woo, boy! certainly our most ambitious to date, save for the time that we were actually vagabonds in late 2012. but this is a different story: fitting in a big summer trip before the school year starts up. the transport: we’ve been mostly taking buses and booking on the road a couple days before. i didn’t anticipate this much bus-riding, as buses tend to make me a bit nauseous. i look forward to train trips when they happen so i can read books and walk around in a generally unrestricted fashion. also, trains are unimpeded…
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Weekend in the Tatras
i love to break up cities on a trip with a bit of nature, so after some recommendations from friends, i decided to steer us towards zakopane, a polish town south of kraków very near the border of slovakia. zakopane is the most popular winter resort town in the entire country because it lies at the beginning of the tatras, the highest mountain range within the mighty carpathian mountains. i (and thousands of other poles) have found that it also makes a very pleasant summer holiday as well! zakopane did surprise me a little. i was expecting a tiny mountain town with a couple grocery stores maximum. little did i…
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Restaurants I Love: U Babci Maliny, Kraków
u babci maliny was my favorite restaurant when i visited kraków eight years ago, and i was determined to go back and show alex how amazing it was. let me paint you a little picture: eight years ago: tired, hungry, and having just checked into my pension on my first night in poland, i was determined to walk as little as possible but still eat delicious polish food. i saw that the building right next door was a restaurant, and wandered in and descended down a long staircase to what seemed like another world. the dining room was furnished with world war I era wallpaper, candelabras, picture frames, tables, cushioned chairs,…
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The Beginning of a Massive Poland Trip: Krakow
kraków was the first stop on my polish odyssey, just a mere hour or two over the czech border. i visited eight years ago, but it feels like an eternity. back then, i remember thinking at the time how polish was the most incomprehensible language i’ve ever seen or heard and that it was nearly impossible to pronounce or decipher any of it. but after living in the czech republic for almost two years, i was pleased to see that many words and phrases are similar and communicating hasn’t been a problem. it feels good to have this slavic language knowledge, although i am still an amateur… a learned…
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Thoughts From a Polish Karaoke Bar
i spent my first night in poland at a funky bar in kraków and couldn’t help but notice these thoughts run through my mind… 1) wow, everyone here is a great singer. 2) they really like metal here! 3) okay, two metallica songs in a row is TOO MUCH. 4) i feel like i’m learning so much polish by just watching this. 5) now i need to see the movie frozen because i can sing the chorus of that “let it go” song in polish! it works in any language, turns out. (mam te moc!) 6) if you request AC/DC, i am going to kill you. or just stare daggers,…
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when planning this big ol’ three week (so long! so ambitious!) summer trip of mine, i kept asking myself: what makes the best trip? i know a lot of us are going on summer holidays and we’re all hoping that our trips are heavy with those magical moments. we all plan full days of museums, sight-seeing, tours, excursions… it it occurred to me: how memorable are doing those things? sometimes i can barely remember a museum i went to three years ago.so, it took a bit of an examination on my part to think about my favorite memories from trips of the past ten years and really think about what…
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summertime, pt II
happy august, friends. this week off for me has been so necessary have a enough trip research time for my big backpacking trip around poland… which i leave for in a couple days! although it wasn’t the dazzling sunny summer week i had been hoping for (more like humid, cloudy, and scattered showers) i have enjoyed it immensely. for the past two years august has been my month to play! (never for the life of me could i ever figure out what lana del ray sings about in “summertime sadness”) it’s always been an optimistic and exciting season full of fun and possibility. to support alex while he’s still working,…
